Invalid aid

ABSTRACT

A toilet seat is connected to a carriage which is mounted for vertical reciprocation. Two posts rest upon either side of a commode bowl. Racks in the posts are raised and lowered by a rotating pinion in the posts. The carriage carrying the toilet seat is attached to the racks. Controls are mounted in handles extending to either side of the seat.

'United' States Patent [191 Pearce Oct. 28, 1974 [76] Inventor:

[ INVALID AID James C. Pearce, PO. Box 1441, Lubbock, Tex. 79408 [22] Filed: Jan. 3, 1974 121] App]. No.: 430,596

[52] US. Cl 4/254; 4/185 L; 297/314 [51] Int. Cl. E03d 11/00 [58] Field of Search 4/185 R, 185 L, 237, 254, 4/134, 170, 69; 297/314 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,562,598 7/1951 Brown 4/185 L 2,779,949 2/1957 Crispen 4/185 L 3,078,473 2/1963 Daniels.... 4/185 L 3,123,400 3/1964 Paulson 297/314 3,271,791 9/1966 Sarff 4/185 L 3,381,317 5/1968 Daniels et a]. 4/185 L 3,398,410 8/1968 Sparling 4/254 3,458,872 8/1969 Hellstrom et a1. 4/237 3,474,471 10/1969 Matibag 4/254 3,619,820 11/1971 Cain et al. 4/237 X Primary Examiner-Henry K. Artis Attorney, Agent, or FirmWendell Coffee [57] ABSTRACT A toilet seat is connected to a carriage which is mounted for vertical reciprocation. Two posts rest upon either side of a commode bowl. Racks in the posts are raised and lowered by a rotating pinion in the posts. The carriage carrying the toilet seat is at- V tached to the racks. Controls are mounted in handles extending to either side of the seat.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures as j IO 1e US. Patent Oct.28, 1975 Sheet10f4 3,914,806

US. Patent Oct. 28, 1975 Sheet 2 of4 3,914,806

U.S. Patent Oct.28, 1975 Sheet3 0f4 3,914,806

US. Patent Oct. 28, 1975 Sheet 4of4 3,914,806

Ill

INVALID AID BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to invalid aids and more particularly to an aid for helping invalids onto a commode.

2. Description of the Prior Art Previous workers in the field have considered a similar problem. Drury, US. Pat. No. 3,209,376, provided an elevated toilet seat having handholds. However, Drury did not provide for raising and lowering this seat.

Parsons, US. Pat. No. 3,209,375, had a seat which enabled a person to recline, however, it required the use of a special commode bowl.

Considerable work has been done on the problem of invalids entering and leaving a bath tub.

Daniels, US. Pat. No. 3,078,473, discloses a hoist for the purpose of helping invalids in and out of bath tubs, in which case, he uses a conventional toilet seat. Because of the likelihood of electrocution, Daniels uses a fluid hoist.

Whitaker, US. Pat. No. 3,579,660, uses an electrical hoist with a swing seat for entering and leaving a bath tub.

Applicant was aware of the following US. Pat Nos. at the time of preparation of this application:

Brown-2,562,598

Eaton-3,349,41 1

Daniels-3,381,317

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 1. New and Different Function Applicant has provided a lift with a seat for use at regular height and immediately above the bowl of the commode. the lift moves the seat to a convenient elevation of about 30 inches for the invalid to get on and off the seat. It is particularly adapted to be used with conventional, standard bowls as found in most homes. Therefore, there is no necessity for buying special plumbing fixtures. Furthermore, although a device according to this invention is bolted to the bowl of the commode when in use, it is still portable inasmuch as it may be quickly removed from one bowl and moved to another location; thereby, it does not become a permanent investment by the user.

2. Objects of the Invention An object of this invention is to furnish an invalid with an aid which is to be attached to a commode.

Further objects are to achieve the above with a device that is sturdy, compact, durable, lightweight, simple, safe, efficient, versatile, and reliable, yet inexpensive and easy to manufacture, install, adjust, operate, and maintain.

Other objects are to achieve the above with a method that is versatile, rapid, efficient, and inexpensive, and does not require skilled people to install, adjust, operate, and maintain.

The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objets, uses, and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawing, the different views of which are not necessarily to the same scale.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an embodiment of this invention attached to a commode with parts broken away for clarity of illustration, showing the seat in an intermediate position between up and down.

FIG. 2 is a top sectional view taken substantially on lines 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the aid only (the bowl not shown) with parts broken away for clarity, showing the seat down.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view taken substantially on line 33 of FIG. 1, showing the aid only, with parts broken away for clarity and showing the seat in the up position.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of FIG. 2 of the aid only with parts broken away for clarity and the carriage being shown in the full upper position.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the posts showing details" of the rack and pinion and carriage.

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the aid only and g is foreshortened for clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more particularly to the drawing, there may be seen that this device is adapted to be used with the standard commode. Standard commodes are built to rest upon the floor 10. Conventionally, the commode will include bowl 12 and tank 14. For the purposes of attaching a toilet seat over the bowl, the conventional bowl has two holes 16 in the back of the commode bowl.

The aid includes two posts 18 and 20 connected by plate 22. The plate 22 has two holes 24 which match the holes 16 at the back of the bowl. Therefore, the aid may be positioned over a bowl and secured thereto by bolts 26 extending through the holes 24 and the holes 16.

Rollers 28 are at the bottom of the posts 18 and 20 and extend to the rear thereof. These rollers provide easy movement of the aid from one location to another.

They are more important for demonstrator models than they are for models in actual usage inasmuch as models in actual use would not often be moved from one location to another.

Foot 30 is constructed of triangular tubular material. One vertical leg 32 of the foot is attached as by bolting to the front of each post and horizontal leg 34 extends forward or along the bowl. Therefore, the foot 30 braces the posts and keeps them in a secure position. The posts may be leveled by threaded leveling pad 36 as is conventional with articles of furniture or applicances. Levelling pads are also contained at the bottom of each post 18 and 20, although they are not shown in the drawing. It will be understood that most commodes have an open bowl, the top of which is a standard height of 15 inches above the floor and the position of the bolt holes 16 are standard so the toilet seats are readily interchangeable on any standard commode. However, there are slightvariations in setting them, making it desirable to have it possible to adjust the height of the plate 22 slightly so it readily fits on any installation. It will be understood, however, that the aid does not rest upon the bowl and the plate 22 may contact the bowl, but the weight of the device is not supported by the bowl. The bolts 26 are to position the aid on the bowl and the aid is supported by the posts 18 and 20.

Horizontal rotatable shaft 38 is mounted in bearings or Dillow blocks 40. The bearings or pillow blocks 40 are attached on the outside of the posts 18 and 20. The shaft 38 is at an elevation slightly above the plate 22.

Reversible electric motor 42 is attached by a suitable bracket to the post 20. Through a suitable gear reducer, the motor has an output shaft to which is attached a sprocket (FIG. 2). Chain 44 drives a sprocket mounted upon the shaft 38. Therefore, activation of the electric motor 42 will rotate the shaft in either direction, according to the direction it is driven.

The shaft 38 has pinions 46 mounted on each end within the posts 18 and 20, which are hollow (FIG. Rack 48 is telescoped within each post. Each rack has roller 50 attached thereto at the top and a similar roller attached thereto at the bottom. These rollers roll within a track formed by front portion 52 of the post and plate 54 attached to the inner surface of the outside portion of the post.

The two are connected together by back bar 56. The back bar is rigidly attached to each of the racks. The back bar includes U-shaped support 58 rigidly attached thereto and, also, shield 60 attached thereto. The shield as illustrated is perforated metal. Slot 62 extends the full length of each of the posts 18 and 20. The back bar 56 runs in the slots 62. Toilet seat 64 is hinged by piano hinge 66 to the back of the U-shaped support 58. The toilet seat is supported by metal reinforcing plate 68. The racks, back bar, seat and shield for the carriage assembly.

Therefore, it may be seen that the electric motor can be actuated in an up direction so that it rotates the shaft 38 in an up direction, causing the pinions 46 to drive the rack 48 up, thereby, elevating the back bar 56 and the seat 64. Likewise, if the seat is in the up position, the electric motor 42 can be activated to run in reverse or down direction, thereby, lowering the seat 64 to a lowered position. As previously stated, the lowered position will be approximately inches above the floor 10. The raised position will be approximately 30 inches above the floor 10. The up position is a convenient height for the average size adult to use.

To aid in getting on and off the seat 64, two handles 70 are provided. The handles are attached to ears 72 mounted upon the U-shaped support 58. The handles are tubular and contain electrical cables 74 which contain the controls which extend to switches 76 at the end of the handles, which are conveniently rubber covered as shown at 78. Conveniently, the switch in one handle can be an up switch and the switch in the other handle can be a down switch so they are easily activated by a person also manipulating crutches, wheel chairs or the like.

Upper limit switch 80 is mounted within the top of the post so that when the racks reach their upper position, the switch 80 is activated by the top of the rack 48. Lower limit switch 82 is attached to the plate 22 to be actuated by the back bar 56 so that when the unit is in the full lower position, the switch 82 is activated. The details of the wiring would be standard and would be within the skill of ordinary electricians; therefore, they have not been shown in detail here. As stated before, the switch in one handle will cause the carriage to move up and pressing the switch in the other handle would cause the carriage to move down, and the'stop at top and bottom would deactivate the motor when either was reached. It will be understood that the down limit switch 82 prevents the motor from moving the carriage down further, but it does not deactivate the motor from moving the carriage upward when the up switch 76 is pressed. The up limit switch deactivates the motor from moving the carriage upward, but it does not prevent downward movement. The invalid may stop the carriage at any height by not pressing either switch.

Therefore, I have provided a convenient aid which is readily removable for movement from one location to the other.

The embodiment shown and described above is only exemplary. I do not claim to have invented all the parts, elements or steps described. Various modifications can be made in the construction, material, arrangement, and operation, and still be within the scope of my invention. The limits of the invention and the bounds of the patent protection are measured by and defined in the following claims. The restrictive description and drawing of the specific example above do not point out what an infringement of this patent would be, but are to enable the reader to make and use the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. An invalid aid adapted to be attached to a. a commode i. resting on a floor and having ii. an open bowl having iii. a horizontal top with iv. two holes in the rear of the bowl top,

b. comprising:

c. two vertical hollow posts connected by d. a horizontal plate,

e. two holes in said plate adapted to match the two holes in the bowl top so that the plate may be bolted thereto in use with the posts on the floor on either side of the bowl,

f. a foot on each post to steady the post,

g. a horizontal rotatable shaft extending from one post to the other and through each,

h. a pinion in each post on the shaft,

j. a reversible electric motor mounted on one of said posts,

k. gearing means interconnecting the electric motor and rotatable shaft for rotating the shaft,

m. a rack telescoped within each hollow post and mounted for vertical reciprocatory motion therein,

11. the teeth of the rack meshed with the teeth of the pinion,

o. the racks connected by a back bar,

p. said back bar extending through a slot in each post,

q. a U-shaped horizontal support attached to the back bar,

r. a toilet seat pivoted to the back bar and supported by the U-shaped support,

s. handles attached to the U-shaped support and extending above and on both sides of the seat, and

t. switches in at least one handle electrically connected to the electric motor.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 with additional limitations of u. a limit switch mounted upon said horizontal plate,

v. said limit switch connected to said electric motor,

whereby w. the motor is stopped when the back bar reaches its lowest position and touches said limit switch, and

x. a second limit switch mounted in one of said posts near the top thereof,

y. said second limit switch connected to said motor limitations of to stop said motor when the rack reaches its upperj. a foot on the post most position and touches said second limit switch. k. extending forward thereof to steady the post. 3. An invalid aid adapted to be at c e to 6. The invention as defined in claim wherein there a. a commode 5 are i. resting on a floor and having m, two posts an p?" bowl havllfg 7. The invention as defined in claim 3 with additional 111. a horizontal top with limitations f h m the rear of the bowl j. a U-shaped horizontal support included in said carc. compnsmgz. riage assembly,

d. at least one vertical post,

e. a horizontal plate attached to said post,

f. said plate having two holes therethrough adapted to match the two holes in the rear of the bowl top so that the plate may be bolted thereto in use with the post resting on the floor,

g. a carriage assembly mounted for vertical reciprocation on the post,

h. hoist means on the post for raising and lowering .k. said seat mounted by being hinged to said rear 0 the U-shaped support and supported thereby when in horizontal position.

8. The invention as defined in claim 7 with additional limitations of m. a foot on the post n. extending forward thereof to steady the post.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein there said carriage assembly, and are j. a toilet seat mounted on the carriage assembly. two PQ a 4. The invention as defined in claim 3 with additional The "Wemlon as defined claim 9 Wlth addllimitations f tional limitations of v k. handles attached to the carriage above and on ei- P- handles attached to the carriage above and ther side of the seat, and 5 ther side of the seat, and m. switches in the handles connected to the hoist q. switches in the handles connected to the hoist means for activating same. means for activating same. 5. The invention as defined in claim 3 with additional 

1. An invalid aid adapted to be attached to a. a comMode i. resting on a floor and having ii. an open bowl having iii. a horizontal top with iv. two holes in the rear of the bowl top, b. comprising: c. two vertical hollow posts connected by d. a horizontal plate, e. two holes in said plate adapted to match the two holes in the bowl top so that the plate may be bolted thereto in use with the posts on the floor on either side of the bowl, f. a foot on each post to steady the post, g. a horizontal rotatable shaft extending from one post to the other and through each, h. a pinion in each post on the shaft, j. a reversible electric motor mounted on one of said posts, k. gearing means interconnecting the electric motor and rotatable shaft for rotating the shaft, m. a rack telescoped within each hollow post and mounted for vertical reciprocatory motion therein, n. the teeth of the rack meshed with the teeth of the pinion, o. the racks connected by a back bar, p. said back bar extending through a slot in each post, q. a U-shaped horizontal support attached to the back bar, r. a toilet seat pivoted to the back bar and supported by the Ushaped support, s. handles attached to the U-shaped support and extending above and on both sides of the seat, and t. switches in at least one handle electrically connected to the electric motor.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1 with additional limitations of u. a limit switch mounted upon said horizontal plate, v. said limit switch connected to said electric motor, whereby w. the motor is stopped when the back bar reaches its lowest position and touches said limit switch, and x. a second limit switch mounted in one of said posts near the top thereof, y. said second limit switch connected to said motor to stop said motor when the rack reaches its uppermost position and touches said second limit switch.
 3. An invalid aid adapted to be attached to a. a commode i. resting on a floor and having ii. an open bowl having iii. a horizontal top with iv. two holes in the rear of the bowl top, c. comprising: d. at least one vertical post, e. a horizontal plate attached to said post, f. said plate having two holes therethrough adapted to match the two holes in the rear of the bowl top so that the plate may be bolted thereto in use with the post resting on the floor, g. a carriage assembly mounted for vertical reciprocation on the post, h. hoist means on the post for raising and lowering said carriage assembly, and j. a toilet seat mounted on the carriage assembly.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 3 with additional limitations of k. handles attached to the carriage above and on either side of the seat, and m. switches in the handles connected to the hoist means for activating same.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 3 with additional limitations of j. a foot on the post k. extending forward thereof to steady the post.
 6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein there are m. two posts.
 7. The invention as defined in claim 3 with additional limitations of j. a U-shaped horizontal support included in said carriage assembly, k. said seat mounted by being hinged to said rear of the U-shaped support and supported thereby when in horizontal position.
 8. The invention as defined in claim 7 with additional limitations of m. a foot on the post n. extending forward thereof to steady the post.
 9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein there are o. two posts.
 10. The invention as defined in claim 9 with additional limitations of p. handles attached to the carriage above and on either side of the seat, and q. switches in the handles connected to the hoist means for activating same. 